


There are no other options because you're the one I want

by harryisqueen



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Break Up, Breaking Up & Making Up, F/M, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21738577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryisqueen/pseuds/harryisqueen
Summary: She thought that the pain and ache that came with leaving him would have faded by now.But it still hurt.It hurt more than she could ever imagine.But she knew she had to give him a chance.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	There are no other options because you're the one I want

El would never have thought I would hurt this bad to see him again.

Yet here she was sitting alone staring at her ex-boyfriend across the room.

Normally he wouldn’t be one to attend things as basic and loud as high school parties and neither would she but they both had been dragged by their friends to said party and now she was forced to look at him all night.

She thought that the pain and ache that came with leaving him would have faded by now.

But it still hurt.

It hurt more than she could ever imagine.

But she knew she had to give him a chance.

A chance to truly explore the options he very easily could have missed out on due to her.

El may have met her one true love in Mike but that didn’t mean it was the same for him.

**_3 weeks ago_ **

_El made her way through school with Max her eyes searching the halls for her boyfriend._

_Since El had started school back in freshman year Mike was always the one to walk her to her classes and then pick her up once they had started their junior year so you could imagine her surprise when Max was waiting for El outside this morning._

_Her eyes finally found Mike when she was nearly to her next class._

_He was leaning against his locker talking to the one and only Stacey He looked impossibly relaxed with a soft smile on his face she had thought was only reserved for her._

_El hadn’t felt jealous since the whole Max misunderstanding but it did not mean she was immune to the feeling._

_However, before she could even process the jealousy that was slowly curling itself around her she was slapped with something else._

_A much nastier emotion that she had struggled with for so long now._

_Guilt._

_And at that moment El had an epiphany about how unfair she had been to Mike._

_She had never given him any chances to be with any girl but her._

_Mike had never complained or acted interested in any other girls but that didn’t stop these feelings._

_These nasty feelings made her all too aware of how selfish she was._

_And she decided at that moment that It wasn’t fair for him for them to be together._

_She couldn’t stand the idea of him being stuck in a relationship with her simply because he felt an obligation to her._

_He’d end up resenting and hating her and she just couldn’t stand for that._

_She could handle the pain of not being with Mike if it meant still having him as a friend._

_She was about to approach Mike when the bell startled her from her thoughts and Max grabbed her bicep pulling her towards her pre-calc class._

**_6 hours later_ **

_As soon as the bell rang El found herself practically running towards the exit of the school._

_If she could just avoid Mike until tonight maybe she’d be able to muster up the courage to set him free._

_The day had felt as if it had drug on at a snail’s pace with the lingering guilt in the back of El’s mind._

_She knew it was selfish to keep him all to herself and give him no opportunity to explore his options._

_To find someone better than her._

_Someone good enough for him._

_El was tapping her foot impatiently waiting for Max to hurry her ass up._

_El glanced at her watch then back up to see Mike casually walking towards her._

_Shit._

_She braced herself as he got closer and closer, part of her wanted to turn on her heels and run in the opposite direction and pray to God that Mike couldn’t catch her._

_But she knew that was unrealistic and she needed to face this head-on._

_“El! I’ve been looking for you since school let out!”_

_El’s stomach clenched._

_“Mike we need to talk.” She spat out with absolutely no tact._

_“Okay.”_

_Just get it out El._

_He deserves so much better._

_You need to allow him to try and find that._

_“We need to break up.”_

_“Wha-.”_

_“I know it may seem like this is random and coming out of nowhere Mike but I promise you it’s what’s best for you because I know someday if I don’t do this for us you’ll resent me and I can’t stand the idea of that.”_

_“El this doesn’t make any sense,” Mike argued._

_El’s eyes looked anywhere but Mike._

_She knew if she looked at him she’d crumble._

_And she couldn’t do that._

_“El where is this coming from?” Mike asked._

_“Mike I’m sorry it’s better this way,” El paused as she saw Max approaching the car, “I need to go Max is taking me home.”_

_Max finally reached the car and looked on at the two of them with confusion as she unlocked the car._

_Max carefully studied Mike’s face and then El’s both of them wearing nearly identical expressions._

_El’s face was just more hesitant to give anything away._

_Max finally pulled open the driver door and clicked the button to unlock the car doors and El all but threw herself inside the car slamming the door behind her._

_Immediately the tears started and as Max climbed into the driver’s side she looked at El with a mix of confusion and concern._

_“Is there something wrong El?” Max asked concern evident in her voice._

_El reached up aggressively wiping away her tears._

_“Everything’s fine.”_

**_Present_ **

It had been 3 weeks since the brief but painful breakup in the school parking lot.

The two of them hadn’t spoken more than 5 words to each other since it had happened.

And as the days passed El almost regretted breaking up with Mike, but then she’d remember why she did it and then be hit with that nasty emotion again.

Guilt.

Goddammit was that single-handedly the worst thing to feel.

El pulled herself out of her thoughts and glanced back up but Mike was gone.

Well, at least now she didn’t have to hopelessly stare at him.

El nearly jumped out of her skin as a warm hand settled itself on her shoulder.

She spun around to come face to face with the boy who she’d been staring at a mere 5 minutes ago.

“Mike,” was all she managed to get out even though she had a million other things she wanted to say.

“We need to talk El.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, Mike,” El muttered.

“Please for God’s sake cut the bullshit El I’m tired of tiptoeing around each other and acting as if the other doesn’t exist.” He paused for a moment and then continued “Also I seriously deserve an explanation as to why you thought we needed to break up.”

Mikes tone posed no argument and El followed him out the front door of the house party and out to where the cars were parked and they finally stopped once they reached Mike’s familiar station wagon.

El cleared her throat and leaned against the car and waited for Mike to start this conversation.

“Well am I going to get it?” He asked finally breaking the silence.

El quirked an eyebrow in confusion “Going to get what?”

“An explanation as to why we broke up.”

“Mike I already told you it’s better for both of us.”

“Didn’t I say cut the bullshit.” He snapped his voice raising slightly.

El flinched back slightly at his tone and Mike’s face softened.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice El. I just need to know why.”

El bit her trembling lip and fumbled with the small padlock charm on the bracelet Mike had given her nearly 3 years ago.

Even though she had ended things and knew the two of them were over she still didn’t have the heart to take it off.

“ _I know it’s cheesy but it’s kinda symbolic ya know? I’ll always keep you safe kinda like how locks keep things safe.”_

El’s heart pinched at the memory.

“El please I just want to know why. If there was something I did or something happened that you felt like you couldn’t talk to me about at least tell me so I can try to fix it. If you want to break up I can try to be okay with that but I can’t let you go unless I know why.”

His voice almost sounded desperate, like he was pleading with her for an explanation.

El breathed in deeply through her nose then released the same breath out through her mouth.

“It’s what’s best for you." El paused to pull in a shaky breath "I realized I never gave you a real chance to date other people or just be attracted to other girls and that’s selfish of me. You deserve someone who can make you happy in the long run and I don’t know if that’s me and neither do you and there’s no way you could know unless you try out your other options. I don’t want you to hate me 15 years from now because I never gave you the chance you deserved to have with other people and when I saw you with Stacy I realized I needed to do this for you.”

Mike’s lips were slightly parted in shock at her revelation.

“Don’t you think I’ve thought the same about you El? I mean you lived in a lab for half your life don’t you think I ever thought to myself maybe I’m taking advantage of a situation by being with you but then reality hits me and I remember that you’re with me because you want to be with me and if God forbid a day ever comes where you feel I’m not the one for you and you need to try out other dating options THEN we would have this conversation. There’s no need for us to break up and try to date other people when neither of us has that desire. You can’t just let insecurity take over like that it’s not fair for me and it’s nothing but harmful for you. Not to mention I thought we were past the point where we didn’t talk to each other about things.”

Mike was nearly panting from his rant.

Suddenly El felt small and her eyes fell downcast to stare at her shoes.

On one hand, she felt embarrassed but on the other, she felt that nasty feeling crawling up her spine and wrapping itself around her throat in a vice grip.

Guilt.

But this time guilt at the fact that she had been wrong and in the process hurt Mike.

She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut as she felt tears forming.

“I’m sorry.” was all she managed to get out before she gave way to her emotions.

Mike’s eyes surveyed her face as she began to cry and after a short moment he reached out pulling her body towards his in a tight embrace.

After a few moments of El crying, she broke the quiet with a blubbered out an apology.

“I’m so sorry Mike. I shouldn’t have broken up with you. I should’ve talked to you about it instead of just jumping the gun and now I’m the one crying and you’re the one feeling sorry when I’m the one who screwed up.”

Guilt was still scratching at her spine.

Mike pulled back to look at her one of his hands still holding a gentle grasp on the back of her neck.

“I love you El and I’m confident when I say you’re the only girl for and I hope to God I’m the only guy for you but when you feel this way I need you to talk to me. We have to communicate these things.”

El couldn’t think of anything to say so instead she leaned forward wrapping her arms around Mike trying to convey she felt the same through her hug.

A few moments passed before El spoke.

“I wanted to avoid hurting you and instead of avoiding it I just hurt you.” She said with a bitter laugh.

“I forgive you El. Next time you feel like this please just talk to me.” Mike murmured pressing his lips to the top of her head.

El closed her eyes soaking in the feeling of being in Mike’s arms because it truly was the best feeling.

And 15, 25, 40 and even 65 years down the road she’d still agree that being in his arms was the best feeling.

**Author's Note:**

> fanks 4 reading sry for disappearing for 2 months I've been dealing with some personal shit! 💖
> 
> [My tumblr](http://www.harryisqu33n.tumblr.com)


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